Ally McCoist has expressed his concerns about Kalvin Phillips and how much pressure the Manchester City midfielder is under now.
The 28-year-old left the Etihad Stadium last month to join West Ham United on loan until the end of the season.
Phillips was always likely to depart after failing to get regular minutes from Pep Guardiola, and it was West Ham who won the race ahead of the likes of Newcastle United and Juventus.
So far, Phillips has had a torrid time at the London Stadium.
He made errors leading to goals in his first two appearances, and then got sent off with two bookings against Nottingham Forest.
With Euro 2024 taking place this summer, Phillips needs a big end to the season to ensure he gets a seat on that plane – and Ally McCoist feels it is paramount that he starts delivering now…
Ally McCoist says Kalvin Phillips was never likely to hit the ground running after severe lack of minutes at Manchester City
Phillips was a topic of conversation this morning on talkSPORT, with former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom joining McCoist and Jeff Stelling.
Phillips served his one-game ban on Monday night as West Ham took on Brentford, meaning he’ll now be available for the Hammers’ game against Everton on Saturday.
It remains to be seen if David Moyes will start him, but that may be difficult with West Ham beating Brentford 4-2.
Seemingly, it could be some time before we see Phillips being properly impactful for the Irons, and this is something that doesn’t really surprise McCoist. He said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt, he’s ever going to hit the ground running. When I say hit the ground running, he’s not going to be at peak form because of a lack of match practice.
“How important is that, and how much pressure, because I’m looking at him just now Paul, and I think there’s an awful lot of pressure on him. On his own personal performances now. Forget about getting back in Gareth’s squad and things like that, he has got to start performing for West Ham United.
Phillips must start showing something for West Ham
McCoist is probably right. Phillips playing so little at City was likely always going to mean a tough start at West Ham.
He had absolutely no rhythm or match sharpness whatsoever when he went to the London Stadium, and that has been evident across his first few appearances for the club.
You have to feel for him, especially when you listen to him speak about how his confidence has been affected by his lack of involvement for City.
But it is also fair to say that Phillips now needs to really step up.
The summer will be here before he knows it and he will not want to miss out on that England squad. He has a great opportunity at West Ham and he needs to make it work. City fans will surely hope that he can.
